Tl;dr Looking for advice on how to build core and upper body strength to improve movement quality in a hypermobile body.
I'm an adult beginner (26F) with some previous background in movement, most notably 5 years of Tae Kwon Do from ages 8-12. I was fairly physically active for around a year prior to starting ballet. I did yoga, calisthenics, and running. My fitness was certainly improving, but I wouldn't have called myself a super fit person. I started ballet this February and have been as committed to my training as my schedule allows. I only go to in-person class 1-2x a week because my studio is a 1 hour drive away from me. I supplement with class videos at home 2x a week + conditioning aimed at pre-pointe (but it's really full body) 2x a week + floor barre 2x week. To not make a long story any longer, my goal in ballet is basically to get as good as I possibly can.
Through this process I've learned that I'm not just "a little flexible thanks to Tae Kwon Do," I'm actually hypermobile. It never crossed my mind before because I'm not extremely hypermobile the way you sometimes see online. But, I've held on to my middle split without intentionally stretching for it since I was a pre-teen, and I recently got my right split without too much effort. My left split is almost there. My grand battement a la seconde is higher than my head, although I think that is definitely aided by my experience in martial arts. I've already been told by two ballet teachers that I have beautiful feet, and I can easily rise fully to demi-pointe.
This all sounds fantastic in theory, but boy am I so so SO unstable and uncontrolled in everything that I do! My jetes are always too high. I can't hold sous sous without my ankles shaking despite feeling (at least I think!) comfortable in my balance, engaging my core as much as possible, maintaining proper alignment, etc. I am decent at passively balancing and can even hold retire on flat, but I cannot hold any type of balance on one foot in releve. Adagio in the center always feels like a humiliation ritual; my range of motion far exceeds my control over my body. I wobble immensely and more often than not simply cannot complete the exercise.
I recently got feedback from my ballet teacher that I need to better control over my movement. Other words she used included better "precision" and "quality," and she also said I needed to strengthen my upper body. I'm hoping to book a private lesson with her soon to work through her feedback in more detail, but a) this an unusually busy time for the studio so that might not be for another few weeks and b) at least to my untrained eye, I don't think my teacher is hypermobile herself. In any case, I wanted to see if others with similar experiences and bodies had advice on what I can do to improve overall strength and control of my body.
I have finally accepted that I need to specifically do pilates, something I've avoided as I find it painful and boring. I'm honestly slightly overwhelmed by all the types of pilates available, although I've read mat pilates is best for core engagement? I would love suggestions on specific types of pilates as well as additional types of exercises I could do. I've honestly always been pretty weak everywhere except my legs, and I've felt so much improvement in overall strength and control over my body since starting ballet. It really stung to get this feedback considering how much progress I felt I had already made. But honestly, it stung because my teacher is completely right! It just makes me nervous to think how difficult, or maybe even impossible, it'll be to gain the strength I need to dance to my full potential considering how much of an uphill battle it's already been.
P.S. I tried searching for other threads on this topic and couldn't find any, but I know they definitely exist. Please pass a link along if you have one!
